JohnnyNr5 Yep, its why I never got rid of my E46 M3 for a newer model. I test drove a 2012 M3 and while it felt a lot quicker it just felt too big and disconnected, it just didn't feel like I was driving a "sports" car it felt more like just a family car with a big engine.

always loved BMWs, E46 CSL is still one of my dream cars, to me the last decent BMW was the E90 M3 and the V10 M5, even though they are big the changes in the drivetrain were sick and compensated for any negative aspects. nowadays I see new 318d models with M badges and articficially misfiring M3s - it makes me wanna throw up. the V8 M3 and V10 M5 are sick cars but when they released the i8 with a 3cyl and downsized the drivetrains of the drivers cars while making them look more aggressive and put a 700hp V12 into the 7 series boat, that's when I knew I would never ever drive a BMW out of the factory again. I don't think the M2/M4 will ever have bad handling, but to me the current models look and feel synthetic and flashy and that's the exact opposite of what BMWs used to be.

I was a kid in the '90s and you can be sure I had BMW posters on the wall.... no way in hell I'd do the same with today's lineup.

JohnnyNr5 I agree. they are crazy over priced as well. I've got a 09 e92 335i I picked up for much cheaper than the market. it's a good car to daily. very nice and comfy and has hydraulic steering which I prefer. Curves are great and it ain't overkill with styling like the new ones and still gets plenty of looks because most people don't even know it's an older one that I got muchhhhh cheaper than typical BMW guys today. I've got a s14 Jap car I put all my $$$ into.

Actually a buddy and I just testdrove a BMW 118i and then a Mercedes A-class and, while I am biased towards BMW, it blew me away how absolutely shit the Mercedes was. Granted, the 118i had M-suspension and the Mercedes didn't have an AMG thing going on, but jesus christ. The shiftknob in the Mercedes was the same horrid plastic as in a basemodel E36 316i... Couldn't reach the aircon for shit because the shifter is in the way. There's an extremely ugly 90's phone style 1-abc, 2-defg, 3-hijk 4-lmno keyboard on the dash, even though the satnav screen could've just been touchscreen. We were wiggling the wheel back and forth on both cars, in the BMW we stayed completely planted in the nice M-seats, in the Mercedes the whole car rocked left and right and the rock-hard basemodel seats didn't provide ANY support. Of course it's not a fair comparison due to the M-seats, but hey... Also the Mercedes didn't have ANY headroom in the back. Not even exagerating, sitting normally, straight up, I had 1 cm of headroom to the side before hitting my head on the c-pillar. We returned the Mercedes after just 5 minutes of driving, while we honestly didn't want to give the BMW back. My buddy was so blown away by it that he ordered one the same day. That said, Mercedes is just one competitor of course, and I've never had any issue with VWs and Audis build quality etc.

Yes, alternator whine

Andrew Ford yep. I've only had it with aftermarket amps. It can be solved with the right value capacitor connected as close as possible to the alternator output and ground. I don't remember the value, been a few years

Can be also caused by a bad diode in the altornantor rectifier causing a noisy output

I've only had it happen with a lot of OEM radios, and cheaper aftermarket radios. My stock swift head unit was especially bad, and the whine went away completely when I replaced it with an "expensive" ~$600 Sony AVH-X3700DAB head unit. I've also seen the noise unductively transferred to the radio wiring or speaker wires through wires that are run too close to any 12V wires without shielding

It also helps if you separate the speaker cables from the power cables.

true and there resale value is climbing in Australia

but so is our vx gts that was competitor at the time

Just what I thought... So I bought one 😁 Never regretted it

Xplosion51 wtf

cczz - You heard him. Holocaust tears are empowering the cars.

impossible to find a manual one so the E55 is not on my list :/ it is an amazing car regardless

I think you mean w210

You must have not known BMW made airplane engines for the war...

It may be because he drives it like a grandpa judging by the drive-bys! I wanted to hear him get on it

MotorFrozes yeah that killed me lol

My wife isn't too happy with me after that comment. I wasn't too happy with her after calling it a grandpa car. Show me one damn Grandpa driving an e39 M5!

Give me 30 years and I will!

MrMiggoH lol. I'm with ya.

Amen brother !

SilverS ls swap it

Alonzo Gonzalez It made me angry even though i knew you were joking xD

540i very good car

I have an 03 540i/6 M sport, it’s a wonderful car and while no M5, still seriously fast.

Jason Lee thanks man! Want to buy it lol?

It really is a perfect design, isn't it? I'd take a nice E39 over any newer 5 series.

allesklar I would for sure! I honestly think the build quality is better too!

It doesnt stand out. Looks like a grey box.

+RtdXyron just no

I can't imagine a day when this car is not cool.

Mike Arredondo hell yeah.. The man who designed it knew what he was doing.

its are drivers car . same as our vt2 hsv gts ... both similar price now 25k up . becoming iconic gems

Big 'ol Booty Cheeks right on man! You get it.

Pedro sanchez rosso i agree

What if it's made from shit, still worth the squeeze?

biggboysouth Depends on how badly you want it

How's the reliability been?

Old Gregg me too thanks

Old Gregg I bet you drank a lot of Baileys from shoes in your college days

Driver's Side not a sleeper at all. A Ford Taurus SHO is a sleeper on steelies.

atlanticimports thank you! Much appreciated.

What about an e90 m3? Not exactly a replacement but wouldn't it make a good update with the newer NA v8? LOL

I did look at those, but only the coupe version is worth it. And I really need a sedan. Also, rod bearing journals scare me more than timing tensioners on my E39. There are other things too, I do like the analogue feeling of older BMWs versus the newer ones, so that's the reason I'm sticking to my E39. If love a V10 M5, but the odds of getting one with a stickshift are super slim, and it has rod bearing issues as well

They're pretty bad in the snow, at least mine is

Must be yours. A heavy car with a great traction control needs nothing but a good set of Nokian snow tires and common sense. I've driven rwd BMWs in Canadian snow and have yet to blame the car for anything. It's definitely doable. Not to mention, the E39 has great seat heaters, and the big engine gets up to temps pretty fast so you can get warmed up quick. Also, did I mention how well the heated steering wheel works ? Trust me, they're hard to beat 😁

I have a 2003 540 M sport with 56k miles in it. I also have a 2014 Mustang GT with 11k miles in it. If I have to sell one of my cars, it will be the Mustang.

Olive View wat happen to it

Sold.

Owner for 3 years of a 2002 M5, 46k miles. The engine never had any problems, even after racing it. But all the sensors and supporting stuff in the car required a lot of upkeep. Car was very solid... handling was impressive for a 4k pound car. Very predictable and easy to control in every situation (except for slow speed understeer in the autocrosses).

Khazar Jew it got stolen.

@@735337707 bruh I'm sorry even though it's already 12 years

Gregory Trane that's what led me to buy this. Owned a 2002 530i with a manual. Loved that car. Should have never sold it.

rot salad hahaha. Killing me man. Time to go on a diet.....of mustang GTs maybe!

MistahMOB thanks man. Love it. I thought I was revving it enough in the drive byes. Just a taste though.

Enthusiast Auto Group yours are typically stock. Don't think that's what Matt is looking for.

Update? Still going strong?

Timothy Carter still drive like Champions

Smear that would be admirable. Do it!

Tyler Wallace thanks man.

STROMBA420 thank you man.

El South Side totally agree.

Frosty Films hahahaha. Wife is none too happy with me for that comment lol.

CK_32 It dictates amperage delivered, but voltage is regulated.

NinnyCTS V your children's college fund will thank you

Just got one

Rob Wittig you talking about Matt?

Jonathan Malik that's exactly what I had before I bought this car. 5 speed in that one. Which I've never seen since.

Joseph Belfi That's awesome! The car is my daily and a GREAT cruiser, now when you step up to a car like yours that's when the real fun starts! Awesome car brother!